Car-coupling



H. F. HEMM.

GAR COUPLING.

(No Model.)

w m m a U lTE STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

HENRY F. HEMM, OF KENDALL, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,182, dated April 22, 1890.

Application filed February 21, 1890- Serial No, 341,30'i. (No model.)

.TOaZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, HENRY F. HEM'M, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kendall, in the county of Kendall and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the aecompanyin g drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in car-couplers of the class adapted to automatically couple, and which may be uncoupled by suitable means from the outside of the cars. It also provides means whereby cars fitted with my improved coupler may be coupled with cars having the ordinary link-and-pin couplers.

To these ends, and to such others as the invention may pertain, the same consists in the peculiar construction and in'the novel combination, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and then. specifically defined in the appended claim.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, like letters of reference indicating like parts throughout the several "iews, and in which drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the ends of two cars provided with my improved coupler. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the drawhead with the couplers removed. Fig.3 is a central vertical section. Fig. at is a detail view of the transverse shaft.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A. A are draw-heads, which are provided with enlarged outer portions o. and the neckw portion a, the inner end of said neck portion being formed substantially T shaped. and adapted to bear against a coiled wire spring 13, which is sleeved upon the pintle C, secured to the under side of the car, as will be seen.

D D are guides, which are shorter than the neck portion, so as to admit of a longitudinal movement of the draw head, said guides being adapted to be attached to the under side of the car. The enlarged portion a of the draw-head is provided with parallel slots Z), which extend vertically through the draw head. Pivoted in one of said slots is a hook E, which is provided with a rearwardly-extending shank e, the outer end being bent to form the downwardlyextending portion 6, which is adapted to engage the slot in the opposite draw-head. E is a hook pivoted within the opposite slot, and in this hook the extension E is dispensed with. The exterior end of the said draw-head is cut away from the top, forming the shoulder a against which the bumper may strike, and thus pre senting the inclined surface a against which the hook in the opposite draw-head may strike, and insuring the proper engagement of the coupling-hooks. Secured to the sides of the said draw-heads are the vertical ears F and the horizontal ears G, which said ears G are adapted to be used in case cars which are fitted with the ordinary pin-anddink couplers are desired to be coupled. The said ears F are adapted to receive the transverse shaft H, the ends of which are bent to form the crank portion I, by which the said shaft is rotated. h 72 are lugs upon. said transverse shaft at nearly right angles to each other, one of which, when said shaft is rotated, is adapted to bear against the shank of the hook E, and the other is adapted to bear against the front end'of the opposite hook and disengage it, as will be seen. \Vhen it is desired to prevent the cars from coupling, the said transverse shaft may be rotated so that the outer ends of the hooks E are at their highest point, and then pull or push the said shaft, so that the lug that is adapted to move in the vacant slot rests in the recess h, formed in said slot.

When it is desired to prevent the cars from uncoupling, the shaft H is to be rotated, so that the lug thereon, which is adapted to bear against the rearwardly' extended shank, rests instead upon the top of said hook, and which may be secured in this position by any wellknown means.

Having thus described. my invention, what slots, as shown, of a hook pivoted within oneof said slots, provided with a shank, a transverse shaft provided with two lugs at right angles to each other, whereby the hooks are thrown out of their engagement with the slots, a coiled spring sleeved upon a pintle at the inner end of said draw head, and a horizontal ear secured to the side of the said drawhead, whereby cars provided with link-andpin coupling may be coupled, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY F. l-IEMM.

Witnesses:

JAMES HARKNESS, JOHN H. WILLER. 

